How could such a large structure become fully involved in fire before sprinklers or firefighters could intervene?
Possibly Intentional flammable liquid placed in stairs and ignited
Ramadan bomb maker lab?
They have different building codes in UK.
In the US, the exterior of a high rise must be made of fire resistive material. In the rest of the World, this is not a requirement.
Remember the tower fire in Dubai a couple of years back? Sparks from fireworks set the exterior of a skyscraper on fire, and the flames quickly spread up the whole side of the building.
As bad as it is, if people get to the core of the building and get down and out, it is probably a survivable fire. The flames do not look like they are coming from inside the building. It is just the skin of the building that is on fire. Get down and get out.
I find it amazing that people build skyscrapers out of flammable material, but that is the standard in much of the World.
Arson
Arson.
Many cans of gas and/or other incendiary material.
I wonder too. The fire doesn’t look like it started and progressed naturally. Have they determined if it was arson?
On viewing the blackened shell, it is obvious that the building is concrete and the structure will not burn. However, as related by an engineer and is clearly visible, the exterior cladding caught fire and then caught the interior ablaze through broken windows.
The exterior is never sprinkler protected.